What would you like to know about Windows 8 at the BUILD conference?

July 29, 2011
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BUILD (Sept. 13-16, Anaheim, Calif.). Details about the event aren’t clear but it seems like it’s going to be a VERY big deal where we get lots of JUICY details regarding the actual architecture and strategy behind Windows 8. Personally, I am expecting to hear details about the following:

  • Features
  • User Interface(s)
  • Pricing
  • Enterprise Value
  • Release Date
  • Strategy
  • Positioning
  • Integration (Kinect etc)
And obviously a whole lot more… But enough about me.. I’m curious, what do you guys and girls expect to hear from Microsoft at the BUILD conference? Use the comment form below and let us know…]]>

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Microsoft

Mike Johnson is a writer for The Redmond Cloud - the most comprehensive source of news and information about Microsoft Azure and the Microsoft Cloud. He enjoys writing about Azure Security, IOT and the Blockchain.

All Comments

  • The damn release date

    Simon Okezie July 29, 2011 5:21 pm Reply
    • What I am more interested in at the moment is the damn beta release date, and if it supports multitouch gestures from macic mouse trackpad and other simler ones like mac does, then I might install a finel released copy in Parallels after beta runs out.

      Jase Wolf July 30, 2011 8:32 am Reply
  • When Ballmer is leaving..LOL

    Ike Yoo July 29, 2011 5:22 pm Reply
  • the boot sequence (hybrid-boot) in seconds.

    Philip Rutrecht July 30, 2011 3:53 am Reply
  • Can I see the new UI when Windows 8 is running on a laptop or desktop computer or would the UI look like Widows 7?

    Ww1971 July 30, 2011 4:10 am Reply
    • That’s the other mystery, the desktop version and what that will look like. Good point…

      Onuora Amobi July 30, 2011 7:13 am Reply
  • Whether mobile tweakers (like XDA-DEVS) will be able to get the ARM version to play about with.

    Richard July 30, 2011 4:49 am Reply
    • Not sure they’ll address that….

      Onuora Amobi July 30, 2011 7:16 am Reply
      • I’m pretty sure they won’t, but it would be nice to know. 
        There are so many high-powered ARM devices at the moment, and it’d be cool to see win8 running on them.

        Richard July 30, 2011 9:22 am Reply
  • You’ve already covered the biggies in your bulleted list, but here’s the one thing that’s always on my mind as an Enterprise Admin:
    how is it different from previous versions?
    and
    what changes are there “under the hood” that may affect deployment?
    Let me give you a really good example. The RPC ports for dynamic RPC moved up to the higher range when we began deployment of Windows Server 2008 R2. It would have been nice if that had been more widely described because it hit some of our sites that like to deploy firewalls. True, that’s kind of a tech-weenie detail that not a lot of people care about, but those are the things that make a difference during your planning/deployment strategy sessions.
    Thanks. 

    Amy Padgett July 30, 2011 5:50 am Reply
  • I would like to know if there is to be a change of disk filing system from NTFS to the more modern one that was touted fro Windows 7 but then left out.

    Wheels Scotland July 30, 2011 6:10 am Reply
    • Yeah i think you mean WinFS. We’ll hear more about Protogon or whatever the new one is…

      Onuora Amobi July 30, 2011 7:15 am Reply
  • i would like too see moving icons on task bar or desktop like MAC, which become larger or shaking when you move mouse pointer on them!

    Salim Rostami July 30, 2011 7:04 am Reply
  • Well i would like to know:
    1. How optimized is Windows 8 especially if it has to run on ARM hardware. Of course i know that the use of flash memory instead of hard drive will speed things up on slates and other ARM devices but Windows sure need to quite optimized to run fluently on ARM hardware.
    2. All the demos we saw up to now, just show us that Windows 8 seems to be a good/great O.S for Windows 8. And in fact if it is optimized enough it could enable the release of some quite killer slates which will make the iPad run for its money.
    However we know close to nothing about how exactly this O.S run on laptop/desktop. Thus i am really interested by seeing what improvements the new User Interface(s) bring for desktop/laptop users.
    Especially as i am not sure i want to use a slate anytime soon. I find them annoying to say the least and i seriously don’t like to use my fingers on a touch screen.
    3.How exactly is used Hyper V3 in this new O.S ?
    4.How would be handled the desktop mode on ARM devices and how easy it would be to port x86 apps to Windows 8 for ARM ? Because i agree with Intel that it will not be trivial for a lot of applications.
    Of course if the goal of Microsoft is to push Windows Market Apps as much as possible, legacy apps could not be that significant as long as there are enough diversity of quality apps(starting by office) at launch.
    Overall, i am quite interested by Windows 8, even if i find disappointing that Microsoft doesn’t take advantage of this O.S to make a tabula rasa and draw a line in the sand.
    I mean Microsoft could have pushed a paradigm shift with this new O.S, requiring for example that device come with at least one SSD for the system (and perhaps applications) and SSD or hard drive for the user data.
    Moreover Microsoft could have required EFI instead of BIOS in Windows 8.
    And last but not the least Microsoft could have designed to a different edition of Windows 8, one for slate and one for a next generation of laptop/desktop with the second being able to operate in slate mode for Tablet PC or Touch enabled desktop.
    The Windows 8 we saw up to now would have been a great O.S for slate and Tablet PC. However the touch first philosophy used for it means to me that it should not be that great for desktops and laptops though only the future will tell us.

    Konanyao July 30, 2011 7:47 am Reply
    • Only the future will tell…

      Onuora Amobi July 30, 2011 8:02 am Reply
    • A corrected and enhanced version of my previous post:
      1. How optimized is Windows 8 especially if it has to run on ARM hardware. Of course i know that the use of flash memory instead of hard drive will speed things up on slates and other ARM devices but Windows sure need to be quite optimized to run fluently on ARM hardware.
      2. All the demos we saw up to now, just show us that Windows 8 seems to be a good/great O.S for Windows 8 based slates and Tablet PC. And in fact if it is optimized enough it could enable the release of some quite killer slates which will make the iPad run for its money.
      However we know close to nothing about how exactly this O.S run on laptop/desktop. Thus i am really interested by seeing what improvements the new User Interface(s) bring for desktop/laptop users. I mean it is not like if Windows has reached the maximum of what can be achieved in terms of desktop O.S or desktop/laptop U.I. Windows desesperately needs an equivalent of virtual desktops, more advanced/dynamic U.I and some significant improvements of I/O,updates process and network.
      Especially as i am not sure i want to use a slate anytime soon. I find them annoying to say the least and i seriously don’t like to use my fingers on a touch screen.
      3.How exactly is used Hyper V3 in this new O.S ?
      Is it just use to handle backward compatibility and if is so how exactly is handled backward compatibility ?
      Is it handled through software virtualization or through whole O.S virtualization ?
      4.How would be handled the desktop mode on ARM devices and how easy it will be to port x86 apps to Windows 8 for ARM ?
      Because i agree with Intel that it will not be trivial for a lot of applications.
      Of course if the goal of Microsoft is to push Windows Market Apps as much as possible, legacy apps could not be that significant as long as there is enough diversity of quality apps(starting by office) at launch. The availability of hundreds or thousands of apps could certainly help a lot.
      Overall, i am quite interested by Windows 8, even if i find disappointing that Microsoft doesn’t take advantage of this O.S to make a tabula rasa and draw a line in the sand.
      I mean Microsoft could have pushed a paradigm shift with this new O.S, requiring for example that device come with at least one SSD for the system (and perhaps applications) and SSD or hard drive for the user data.
      Moreover Microsoft could have required EFI instead of BIOS in Windows 8.
      And last but not the least Microsoft could have designed 2 different editions of Windows 8, one for slate and one for a next generation of laptop/desktop with the second being able to operate in slate mode for Tablet PC or Touch enabled desktop (HP Touchsmart for example).
      The Windows 8 we saw up to now seems to be a great O.S for slates and Tablet PC. However the touch first philosophy used for it means to me that it should not be that great for desktops and laptops though only the future will tell us.

      Konanyao August 1, 2011 7:26 am Reply
  • What I would like to hear is Microsoft telling about that windows 8 can now support multitouch gestures from magic mouse and trackpad like Mac OS X lion can.
    That I think is going to be the best way to guide yourself around windows 8 if you have not got a touchscreen.
    The other thing that I would of liked to hear about is that windows 8 minimum specifications were at most 500mb ram if not same as xp, as 1gb ram at least, makes it still quite a greedy operating system for what it offers. This means that people with old machines with xp currently on, will be likely to have to get a new Pc. And there is still millions of people with old machines, so Microsoft saying that you will not need a new PC is pathetic if you ask me. Or in other words, completely BULL S..T.
    It still seems to me then that Windows 8 is going to be another OS that is skipped by Millions.
    I would only be very happy with this interface if You could use multitouch gestures to guide through the new interface, that is if you do not have touchscreen, but are they going to do this?
    I don’t think so, Microsoft is just all for touchscreens and keyboard shortcuts at the moment.
    But since going Apple, I have hardly used Windows, not at home anyway.

    Jase Wolf July 30, 2011 8:20 am Reply
  • When we’ll actually be able to get our collective hands on it?  Will there be a public beta?  Will TechNet subscribers be able to get an early beta for testing. Etc., Etc.

    Trouble July 30, 2011 8:44 am Reply
  • I would like to see whether they will commit to support of applications written in VB6…  I presume even if the runtimes are not included, they could still be distributed…

    Clepcm July 30, 2011 10:14 am Reply
  • I am 68 and don’t know a lot about  Windows 7, Windows 8 etc. All I want, and I don’t udnderstand how it got on my PC to begin with, is for that little stupid box to quit popping up about closing all tabs or the current tab. Yes, I know to click on the x in the tab above to close current tab. However, I don’t want to. I DON’T WANT any type of box popping up at all. Looks like that could be disabled.
    — William —- 

    William July 30, 2011 11:47 am Reply
  • Faster, faster, faster, faster!!!!!!!

    Scott July 30, 2011 12:02 pm Reply
  • CHATTER

    Penta2100 July 30, 2011 1:32 pm Reply
  • A MI ME GUSTARIA QUE FUERA MENOS INTROMISIVO AL  ESTAR TRABAJANDO, QUE CONSUMA MENOS RECURSOS, QUE LOS SERVICIOS SOLO SE HABILITEN AL UTILIZARLOS Y NO TODO EL TIEMPO COMO HOY CASI LO HACE.  QUE APROVECHE MAS EL HARDWARE…

    Pepejoy July 30, 2011 3:08 pm Reply
  • I want to know if Win 8 will have movie maker since that’s the only thing keeping me attached to vista and that cheesy media player 12, it stinks! I want the new Windows 8 same as Vista with he same apps but with the speed of windows 7 and want to know what’s so different about it, all I see it’s another copy paste version of Windows 7 even cornier! I want to know about the new apps Media player, Movie Maker and I don’t meant the windows live one I hate that!

    Manuel Tokmakjian July 30, 2011 4:04 pm Reply
  • I’d like to know the different flavors and prices.  Will they be similar to Windows 7 or cheaper?

    Jf0955 July 30, 2011 6:53 pm Reply
  • Don’t make the same mistake as with Windows 7. Windows 7 constantly crashes, freezes up or just stops responding. Also bring back Outlook Express or Windows Mail instead of that rubbish Windows Live Mail.

    Ian Sorensen July 31, 2011 4:25 pm Reply
  • Things I want to know about:
    A sense of how well/much MS is porting there services and programs (Office, Windows Live, Bing etc)  to Windows 8 touch first UI apps and ARM. We know that Office 2010 was ported to ARM which is HUGE but will MS also include a WP7-like touch/light version as well?
    Xbox Live. Just how deep does the integration go. Will we get Xbox 360 game (Live Arcade, Indie Game, Games on Demand) fully compatible with Windows 8? If so, this would also be HUGE as not only would it make about 100s of Live games instantly playable but provide real games in addition to all the touch only stuff. Also, will the Xbox Live powered gaming “hub” look exactly like the new Xbox 360 dashboard coming this fall? If so would give Win 8 owners a Xbox included with every purchase and make Live ubiquitous.
    Whats going on with “Ventura”? I know MS is waiting to fully unveil this new entertainment service with either Windows 8 or Xbox…I just dont know which one. It would do MS some good to unveil this service at BUILD with live demo. A top tier music/video/TV service that you get out the box with every Windows 8 device sold will look great, especially for mobile devices. If part of Xbox Live’s live TV service is that they can stream that service to other Live enabled devices than Win 8 tablet owners could get instant streaming live TV while on the bus.
    Hardware. I know its a slim chance we will see actual hardware at BUILD but I would to know about concepts. If MS really wants to stick it to Apple and Google on the tablet front than they need to get with hardware makers to think about Transformer-like devices. What would be better than a Windows 8 ARM tablet that once plugged into a dock not only provided a trackpad and keyboard but also turned the whole experience into a x86 laptop-like device. The dock would house all your legacy Windows programs and be used to productivity while the tablet by itself would be great at consuming on the go. No matter how well you you attach and iPad to a keyboard…its still just a touch only device with no real productive programs…Im really interested to see just how well Windows 8 will adapt from a software/hardware perspective.
    Lastly, will Windows Phone’s apps and games instantly work on Windows 8? By the time Win 8 launches, WP7 will have amassed at least 45k apps…it would be a bad idea for MS to leave that on the table. If MS told me they will have millions of legacy programs, over half 100k touch/K&M apps, and 1000s of gamepad Xbox and Xbox 360 games with HTML and JS apps all apart of the same ecosystem then I would have to say its curtains for their competitors…but we shall see.

    timotim July 31, 2011 5:01 pm Reply
  • There are a few more things i want to learn:
    1. If Microsoft is really serious about this whole html5/js stuff. Because i don’t see myself becoming a html5/js developper anytime soon even it is just to expose functionnalities of more complex underlying apps. I think that silverlight is already there and does a much better job than html5/js will ever do. So it is great for web developpers if those tech are supported at the O.S level but it would suck if they represent the main or prefered way to develop immersive apps for Windows 8.
    2. If the start menu will get any prettier because it is was way less appealing than the Xbox 360 dashboard. And if there are smart ways to browse in the smart menu because i wonder if it would be easy to browse in these smart menu when a lot of apps are available/used.
    I think that some kind of vertical categories could be useful.
    3.How exactly will Kinect 2 be used with the U.I.
    4. What about the rumored Wind U.I which was supposed to take advantage of GPU to offer a full 3D U.I.

    Konanyao August 1, 2011 7:55 am Reply
  • Things that I want to know about:
    Nothing too much extra really.  However, When closing Panels from the “X” at the top right, I would like to see another panel come up saying: “Do you Really want to Close this?” Otherwise you have to log-in again, especially when in Internet Explorer.  Maybe there is something there already, which I may not know about, that will make this not happen.  We’ll see what M/S will do about this.

    Andy18699 August 1, 2011 12:47 pm Reply
  • I wish some fixes , more useful helping with troubleshooting and less crashing .

    aldoctor August 4, 2011 4:20 am Reply
  • With Windows 8, using Windows Live Messenger, will I be able to send emails on colorful and/or annimated stationery, as I was able to do with Windows XP ?

    Frank August 5, 2011 8:02 pm Reply
  • Will Windows 8 be ready to go out of the gate, or, will there the usual constant updates until Microsoft gives up the effort and goes direct to Windows 9?

    Ccwalker August 6, 2011 11:48 am Reply
  • 1. How exactly will the xbox be integrated into Windows 8?
    2. How will we be able to play our X Box Games like GTA IV on Windows 8?
    3. Is there any estimate as to how much it’ll cost for buying a Windows 8 PC?

    Benson August 10, 2011 2:11 pm Reply
  • Just one thing for me – I want to know all about the tools that we can use to build Win 8 apps when our experience is .NET/WPF

    Mark August 13, 2011 6:25 am Reply

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